Communications of the ACM
Sensor Knows When You're Lying Through Your Teeth
A new sensor can send data on mouth motion to a smartphone, where it can be interpreted for indications related to health issues.
Credit: Justin Quinnell
The mouth could provide doctors with information on a variety of health issues with the aid of a sensor that has been developed by researchers at National Taiwan University. The sensor includes an accelerometer that sends data on mouth motion to a smartphone.
The research team has programmed machine-learning software to recognize the various jaw motion patterns and determine how much time the user has spent chewing, drinking, coughing, smoking, or talking. In testing on eight people, the prototype system correctly recognized oral cavities 94 percent of the time.
Although the device can fit into dentures or a dental brace, the team wants to miniaturize it to fit in a cavity or crown. The researchers also envision a wireless device.
"This could have a number of uses in dentistry, for example as a research tool, for monitoring patients who clench or grind their teeth, and for assessing the impact of various dental interventions," says Trevor Johnson at the Faculty of General Dental Practice.
From New Scientist
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